Open Space & Natural Resources Parks
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SECTION 3: PARKS & OPEN SPACE Open Space & Natural Resources Open space within and around The City of Gary includes public parks, a bike path system, recreation facilities, wetlands, and beaches. The area’s overall open space system provides the City with wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities while improving air quality and providing relief from the urban character of the City. Gary park maintenance is currently handled by the Streets and Sanitation Department as Parks Department employees have been reassigned to other departments throughout the city and are no longer used to execute regular park maintenance. There is no maintenance plan in practice at this time except that which handles mowing once every two weeks. Parks The Gary parks system contains regional, community, neighborhood, and pocket parks and playlots. They vary in size from less than one acre to 160 acres and contain a range of sports and recreation facilities, pedestrian/bicycle trails, picnic facilities, and community centers. Field observations were conducted throughout the city in the months of May and June. The field work included taking inventory of each of the City’s parks and their amenities. The following are National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) recommended standards for community park systems: Table 3.1: NRPA Recommended Park Standards Park Type Recommended Service Area Major Community Park 20 to 35 acres 1 to 4 miles Community Park 15 to 25 acres Within biking distance Neighborhood Park 6 to 8 acres Neighborhood Neighborhood 5 to 10 acres ½ mile Playground Play Lot 1 acre or fewer ¼ mile The NRPA suggests that a park system, at a minimum, be composed of a total of 6.25 to 10.5 acres of developed open space per 1,000 residents, taking into consideration a community’s geographic and historic characteristics. Based on this standard, with approximately 99,246 residents, Gary should have approximately 620 to 1,042 acres of parkland. 30 Gary Comprehensive Plan – State of the City Report – Gary, Indiana SECTION 3: PARKS & OPEN SPACE The City currently has a total of 553.6 acres. According to NRPA standards, Gary has insufficient park and open space overall. However, there are a large number of parks throughout the city that feature a wide range of activities. The NRPA has also developed standards to determine the area that each park category services. Each park service area is represented by a circle with a specific radius based on the type, size, and uses of the park. Major community/regional parks serve an area of a 1 to 4 mile radius around the park. Some larger regional parks draw users from up to a half hour away. Community parks have a service area of one mile or should be within biking distance. Neighborhood parks have a half mile radius service area and should be within walking distance for the residents of the surrounding neighborhoods. Pocket parks and playlots both serve the quarter mile area around the park. According to the NRPA standards for park service areas, the majority of the City of Gary is served by a park. In addition to its parks and open space, the City also has park and recreation facilities that provide amenities such as community centers, high quality baseball and little league fields, and pool facilities. The following is an inventory of Gary’s parks and associated facilities. For the analysis, the NRPA standards have been combined into six categories: Major Community/Regional Parks Community Parks Neighborhood Parks Pocket Parks Playlots Park Facilities Major Community/Regional Parks: typically 20 to 35 acres (1 - 4 miles service area) Major community/regional parks are large natural or landscaped areas that provide for both intensive and passive use. These parks are designed to accommodate a large number of people and a variety of uses. They often include playgrounds, trails, swimming pools, basketball courts, gardens, natural areas, pavilions, ample parking, and bathrooms. These parks are important to the City because of the amenities and facilities they house and are considered to be citywide assets that can draw visitors from different communities and neighborhoods. Based on the NRPA standards, a minimum of 99 acres and a maximum of 496 acres of major community parks is recommended for a city with Gary’s population. Gary has a total of 237.5 acres of major community parks. The City has a sufficient amount of acreage to serve its residents, according to this standard. The City has three major community level parks. The largest of those is Marquette Park (Figure 01), which spans 159 acres and is one of Gary’s historic parks, founded in 1919. At the northern 31 Gary Comprehensive Plan – State of the City Report – Gary, Indiana SECTION 3: PARKS & OPEN SPACE boundary of the City in the Miller District, Marquette Park encompasses a large portion of beach as well as large expanses of open park area. It features a number of amenities in addition to its beach space including a boat launch, playground, multi-use trails, and an Aquatorium. The Aquatorium is a historic structure currently under renovation. For a more detailed discussion of the Aquatorium, see Section 7. The Pavilion at Marquette Park is also a historic structure built in the early 1920s. The Pavilion was renovated in the 1960s and is now host to many programs and events including weddings and civic functions. Marquette Park is a landmark that draws users from miles away. Marquette Park is, for the most part in very good condition. The park grounds are well-cared for. There are facilities such as the tennis courts that have not been maintained and are currently Figure 01 not in use. Brunswick Park (Figure 02) is a 49 acre park located near the West Gary Lighthouse Charter School and the fire station off South Clark Road. Brunswick Park is one of Gary’s parks that is home to a community center. The park has a wide variety of uses including those for baseball fields, basketball and tennis courts, and it also features rare plants for the urban environment such as black oak and blue joint grass. The park serves a large area of Gary’s West Side. Brunswick Park is currently well maintained. The play equipment is up to date but is not ADA accessible. MC Bennett Park (29.5 acres), the smallest of Gary’s major community level parks, is located south of 25th Street and east of South Chase Street. The park houses baseball fields, a nature Figure 02 walk, a playground, and another of the City’s community centers. Major Community/ Size Location Facilities Regional Park_ Marquette Park 159.4 A 7500 Oak Beach Boat launch Playground Pavilion Aquatorium Monument 32 Gary Comprehensive Plan – State of the City Report – Gary, Indiana SECTION 3: PARKS & OPEN SPACE Shelter Nature walk Hiking trails Tennis courts Brunswick Park 49 A 700 Clark Basketball courts Baseball fields Pavilion Play lot Nature walk Shelter Tennis courts Picnic area Gleason Park A 301 W 30th Trails Wetlands Gary Lighthouse Charter School MC Bennett Park 29.5 A 2500 Grant Baseball fields Nature walk Pavilion Playground Picnic area Community Parks: typically 15 to 25 acres (1 mile service area) Community parks are also large open spaces that accommodate a large number of people and a wide variety of activities. They are designed to serve the recreational needs of an entire community. These parks often feature multi-use fields and courts, community centers, swimming pools, lawn areas, and picnic and play areas. Gary has four community level parks totaling approximately 60.5 acres. The NRPA recommends 198.5 acres for the City of Gary based on its population. Most of the community level parks are located near each other in the central region of the City north of I-80/94 and south of I-90. Hatcher Park is a smaller community level park with about 12 acres or land but features a variety of different uses. It is located off of 21st Street just west of I-65. Uses include recreation fields and trails, a pool, and a pavilion. Hatcher Park has not been maintained regularly. Much of its open space is unkempt and is in need of routine maintenance. The pool at Hatcher Park is currently not operating. The pool area is enclosed with a chain link fence topped with barbed 33 Gary Comprehensive Plan – State of the City Report – Gary, Indiana SECTION 3: PARKS & OPEN SPACE wire, a safety concern that is also aesthetically uninviting to potential swimmers and to the community in general. Ironwood Park, located west of Hatcher Park along the railroad tracks, is similar in size to and has many of the same uses as Hatcher Park. This park has also been under-maintained. The tennis courts do not have nets in place and the lawn areas are in need of mowing. Junedale Fields (Figure 03) consists of high quality baseball and little league fields. It is situated next to Glen Park Academy and serves the students as well as baseball and little league teams throughout the city. The fields appear to be in good condition. Each field has bleachers for spectators and a press box. Tolleston Park (Figure 04), located just east of Chase Street and about mid way between 5th Avenue and I 80/94 near Tolleston Middle School, is host to a variety of different uses. The park has a newly paved track, a pool with large water slides, a bath house, picnic shelters, walking paths, and basketball courts. The park has been well cared for and features new sign columns highlighting the entrances. Tolleston is approximately 17.5 acres Figure 03 and serves a large portion of central Gary.